| Description |
Nursing; is concerned with health promotion and risk reduction. Participation in regular exercise of low to moderate intensity can positively influence coronary heart disease risk factors associated with being overweight. In spite of this, 50-68% of overweight individuals drop out of exercise programs. This study examined the effect of programmed exercise, defined as individualized exercise prescription, intensity control, and selected components of behavior modification, on exercise adherence, self-motivation, and physical fitness parameters in a population of middle-aged overweight women. Thirty-eight moderately overweight women, aged 35-57, were selected to participate in a 16 1/2-week-long intensity aerobic dance exercise program designed and led by a nurse researcher. Random assignment was made to an experimental exercise group (N = 20), and an exercise control group (N = 18). Prior to the onset of exercise training (T(,1)), and at the completion of the study (T(,2)), the following fitness tests were administered to participants: a maximal treadmill test, body composition analysis, blood chemistry, blood pressure, resting heart rate, muscular strength, muscular endur- ance, and flexibility test. T tests, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and gain score analysis were utilized to analyze direct and indirect measures of exercise adherence, self-motivation scores, and fitness changes. Ninety-four percent of the women in both groups adhered to the program. Self-motivation scores did not vary from T(,1) to T(,2). Both groups showed decreases in body weight, percent fat, blood pressure, and resting heart rate, and increases in HDL, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility; but these changes were not statistically significant between groups. After 16 1/2 weeks of exercise training, each group realized a significant and different increase in aerobic capacity (p < .05). The mean Max (')VO(,2) of the experimental group increased 41%, whereas the mean Max (')VO(,2) of the control group increased 22% (p < .05). These findings suggest that the best fitness increases occur when exercise intensity and progression are tailored to the age and fitness level of the exercising group. The high adherence rate to this exercise study suggests that the interaction of individual, group, program, and leader characteristics can be influential in promoting adherence. Implications for Nursing; practice, education, and research are discussed. |
